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Please join the Democracy Seminar at the New School for Social Research (NSSR), Thoughts and Mace Advisory and the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development [CJID] in West Africa, in the inaugural webinar of the Pan-African Media in Democracy Dialogue.
Resetting the Media Freedom Imperative in Africa’s Democratic Agenda asks panelists to get together to properly define an African media agenda for the digital age, offer proposals that will be developed around the outreach strategy for such an agenda, and table suggestions on a masterplan for inclusive mobilization that will ultimately become the beacon of Africa's democratic aspirations.
The speakers are joining us from – South Africa (Branko Brkic), East Africa (John Allen and Asha Mwilu), West Africa (Dr. Tobi Oluwatola), and North Africa (TBD). The discussion is moderated by Prof. Jeffrey C. Goldfarb (NSSR).
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More information about the Pan-African Media in Democracy Dialogue series:
The glaring landscape of failed governance in the sprawling incidence of poverty and inequality, as well as the development deficit in Africa, compels an urgent reflection and reset of the democratic debates in the region and among its 1.5 billion population.
One of the best case studies of this democratic deficit is in West Africa, where between Senegal and Nigeria, the sub-region has witnessed no fewer than three coup d’états of which three have been successful. What makes these developments worrisome is the fact that they are happening in a sub-region that is perhaps the most diverse, potentially the richest and evidently most populous. Violent extremism, sorry cases of environmental and climate crises, rapacious cases of violence against women and girls, political impunity of all sorts and, of special concern for us, blatant violations of freedom of speech, and of the press. These are no winning credentials for the 21st century for the region where 70% of the population is below 25 years old.
The media, both its legacy and its new social representation, have a major and urgent role to play in reversing these negative trends. For one, within the broad oeuvre of received constitutional norms, the acceptance of the central role of the media in democracy-building assumes their role as the mechanism for promoting accountability, and for effective gatekeeping, but also for agenda setting regarding political as well as development quantities. If Africa must, as it should, own the 21st century, a lot of attention and investment should be poured into the media.
Sadly, this preeminent institution for democracy-building is currently bedraggled by repressive state policy, lack of internal diversity, confronted by constraining statutes but much more fundamentally, an atrophied business model badly in need of an overhaul and reform.
Happily, it is not all doom and gloom. A few opportunities still exist. Emerging technologies can help resolve old market discontinuities, even as they create fresh channels to build opportunities for expanded voices and spaces for deeper engagement. Further, relationships between the media and the autocratic state vary from country to country, as do media responses across the region. Some of them have worked better than others presenting an opportunity for cross-learning.
Registered attendees will receive the zoom link via email.
Presented by the Democracy Seminar at the New School for Social Research and Thoughts and Mace Advisory and the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development [CJID] in West Africa.
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The Democracy Seminar is a project convened by publisher and founding editor Jeffrey Goldfarb and senior editors Elzbieta Matynia and Jeffrey C. Isaac. This world-wide discussion among pro-democracy intellectuals and activists addresses the political, social and cultural obstacles to democratic governance; investigates the rise and appeal of illiberal philosophies and practices; and explores ways for rolling back autocratic politics.
Thoughts & Mace Advisory is a policy, legal and third sector consulting firm focused on providing excellent resource and support for clients drawing from the extensive governance and policy background of the firm partners. Established in 2006, Thoughts and Mace has offices in Lagos and Abuja and affiliate offices in Benin, Mali and Senegal. T&M is a dynamic firm dedicated to anticipating clients’ concerns in an effective and cost sensitive manner. It has a dynamic skill base especially in capacity building, advocacy, good governance, public policy analysis, strategic planning, team building, program development, legal/legislative research, and public interest litigation. T&M’s internal structures ensures personalized service to peculiar clients’ needs. The Firm pays close attention to the interplay between clients’ needs and their business and personal goals with deep appreciation of the impact of services to good governance and effective organisational operations. T&M has the vision to build long lasting professional relationships and develop an international network of resources relevant to democracy promotion.
Thoughts and Mace prides itself in providing peculiar services to peculiar clienteles. Peopled by consummate researchers, governance experts and public policy analysts with international exposure, the firm offers an interesting blend of local services with international standards. It offers an uncommon blend of expertise amongst its partners with a combined professional expertise of more than 60 years. | twitter: @thoughtsandmace.
The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), formerly the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), is a West African media innovation and development think (and do) tank.
Founded in 2014 as a non-governmental organisation in Nigeria, the Centre has been a leader in investigative journalism, civic technology, open data, verification, the promotion of journalist welfare and safety, elections and the freedom of information and expression. Over the last couple of years, the Centre has expanded its footprints beyond Nigeria and moved into specific niches in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia and The Gambia.
CJID has built credibility in the sub region as a powerful convening mechanism for the fight against disinformation and the promotion of democratic accountability. It has helped the Ghanaian and Nigerian governments through its National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) respectively to sensitise the public on electoral integrity including misinformation, media and information literacy and the need for fact-checking.
CJID has also helped develop the capacity of journalists in the five English-speaking West African countries in the areas of investigative reporting and conflict-sensitive journalism, as well as work with a cohort of sub-regional universities on media curriculum.
CJID leads a cohort of 12 investigative newsrooms to advocate for political rights such as freedom of expression, freedom of opinion, self-regulation of the media. It has developed www.leaks.ng and www.pressattacktracker.ng, to protect whistleblowers and journalists and track incidents of press attacks.
The organisation works with a broad range of partners across the continent on media development initiatives including the MacArthur Foundation, Luminate, Open Society Africa, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria, Heinrich Böll Stiftung, the National Endowment for Democracy, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, and the Media Development Investment Fund.
Committed to amplifying diverse voices, The New School offers more than a thousand public programs and events each year, providing fresh perspectives and unique learning opportunities. These lectures, exhibitions, concerts, and performances feature prominent and emerging artists, activists, and thought leaders.
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John-Allan is a Kenyan investigative journalist and the co-founder of Africa Uncensored. He has been a journalist for 17 years, based out of Nairobi, from where he has reported on issues and events in Kenya and the region. He has interviewed high-level politicians and power brokers from across the region, and investigated crimes committed in the highest reaches and lowest rungs of African society. John-Allan is the 2015 and 2017 joint journalist of the year Annual Journalism Excellence Awards, a 2015 Global Shining light award finalist, and the 2009 CNN African Journalist of the Year. He is a 2009 CNN fellow and a 2017 Archbishop Desmond Tutu Fellow. He holds a BA in Journalism from the United States International University – Africa.
Branko Brkic started his career by publishing science fiction books in 1984, in what was then Yugoslavia. In the following seven years he moved from being a project-based book publisher to launching the then-Yugoslavia’s biggest privately-owned publishing house. He published in total 62 books, among them The complete works of William Shakespeare, Complete Greek Tragedies and Miroslav’s Gospel, the Serbian nation’s holiest book, which was included in Unesco's Memory of the World upon the re-publication.
In South Africa, Branko launched so far:
1998: Timbila, the South African National Parks magazine
2001: Brainstorm, which to this day dominates South African IT scene.
2005: The iconic Maverick magazine.
2007 he launched and co-edited his fourth and final print magazine, Empire, a high-quality media, arts and culture publication.
After Maverick and Empire folded in 2008, in late 2009 he launched Daily Maverick, an online daily with six million monthly readers.
In 2020, Daily Maverick launched 168, South Africa’s final weekend newspaper.
Branko and his publications are recipients of too many awards to list here. He was also twice named as one of Africa's 100 top people by the New African magazine.
In June 2018, Branko won Nat Nakasa Award for Media Integrity, considered South Africa's premier journalism award.
The #GuptaLeaks, Daily Maverick's greatest contribution to South Africa so far (in collaboration with amaBhungane and News24) brought many more awards, among them:
2017 Vodacom 2017: Overall Winner
2018 Taco Kuiper Investigative Award: Overall Winner
2019 Global Shining Light Award: Overall Winner, shared with the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Resa's Rappler (Philippines)
Jeffrey C. Goldfarb is the Michael E. Gellert Professor of Sociology Emeritus at The New School for Social Research.
He is the author of dozens of articles and eight books, including Reinventing Political Culture: The Power of Culture versus the Culture of Power, The Politics of Small Things: The Power of the Powerless in Dark Times and Civility and Subversion: The Intellectual in Democratic Society. He is the founder of the online magazine Public Seminar and the convener of The Democracy Seminar, first developed in the 1980s as an exchange between oppositionist groups in Central Europe and the United States, and in 2018 reconvened as a “World Wide Committee of Democratic Correspondence.”
Goldfarb lived in Poland in 1973-4 doing the research for his dissertation on Polish Student Theater. He collaborated with the democratic opposition before Solidarnosc and worked with Solidarnosc both above and below ground in the 1980s. Since 1989, he has annually returned to Poland to teach in an institute on Democracy and Diversity. For his work in Poland, he received the Solidarity Medal, presented by former President Lech Walesa, on behalf of the Polish government, in recognition of support for Solidarity, commemorating its 25th anniversary, September 28, 2005, and the Medal of Gratitude, from the European Solidarity Centre, Gdansk, Poland, 2012.
Dr Tobi A. Oluwatola is the Acting Executive Director at the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development. In this capacity he leads a team of researchers, development experts, journalists and technology experts to develop knowledge products, build civic technology tools and train journalists to promote democratic accountability in West Africa. He recently led the publication of a Press Freedom Manual to educate journalists as well as other actors on the primacy of press freedom in democracy and provide tools for improving press freedom in the region. He previously worked at the RAND Corporation where he provided policy advice to governments in the US, South East Asia, Middle East and Africa. He also previously worked as a management consultant for KPMG, the World Bank and FCDO.
Eastina Marian Boimadi Taylor is an experienced mentor/producer and presenter with a demonstrated history of working in the broadcast media industry for over 13 years. She is skilled in storytelling, breaking news, editing, Microsoft Office, and television, as well as a strong community and social services professional.
Eastina is a 2018 Mandela Washington Fellows From Indiana University, and continues to champion the issues of young people through an organization called Shaping Young Minds Initiative.
As Community Engagement Officer and Project Lead for On Our Radar, Eastina leads on the community engagement of over 70 community reporters in Sierra Leone, as well as mentoring of reporters across the On Our Radar reporter network.
She is the current Public Relations Officer for Women In The Media Sierra Leone, an organization which focuses on empowering Female Journalists to be able to use their platforms to advocate for better welfare and equal rights for women and girls in Sierra Leone.
Asha is an award-winning investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker based in Nairobi, Kenya. She is the founder and editor-at-large at Debunk Media, a pioneering digital media company grounded on public trust, investigations and audio-visual storytelling.
Asha has spent 10 years covering current affairs, politics, security and terrorism and the economy in Kenya’s major newsrooms. She has worked as the special projects editor at Citizen Television and at KTN News. Her investigations on Al Shabab activities at the Kenya – Somalia border won her international recognition, including being named the 2016 CNN African journalist of the year.
Asha holds an MA in Documentary Practices [Distinction] from University for the Creative Arts in the United Kingdom and a BA in Journalism. She is also a 2015 Chevening Scholar. Asha teaches journalism and film as an adjunct lecturer at United States International University – Africa.
